Collapsible baby walker



Aug. 7, 1923.. 11,463M9 E. HUMPHREVILLE COLLAPS IBLE BABY WALKER Filad April 15 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug, 7, 1923.

E. HUMPHREVILLE COLLAPS IBLE BABY WALKEH Filed April 15 1922 2 sh eets sheet 2 Patented Aug 7, i923 nnwrn nurlrrnnnvrnnn, or ranoesrna, PENNSYLVANIA."

COLLAPSIBLE BABY 'Application filed April 15, 1922. Serial No. 552,874.

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN HUMPHnn- VILLE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster and Stateof Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Collapsible Baby Walkers, of which the following is a specification. r

My invention has reference to baby walkers and one of the objects of the invention is to provide a collapsible structure by which the supporting frame or ring may be moved toward and away from the base frame to collapsed or extended positions whereby the device may be compactly arranged for storage orv shipment, or conveniently placed away when not inuse but which when in extended position for use will be extremely rigid and provide the necessary strength for rough usage. a

The invention is directed more specially to an improvement or modification of the connection between the supporting frame and the base frame member or brace, which serves asmeans for frictionally locking said parts against relative movements when the device is in extended position for use, capable of convenient manipulation and constructed of a few simpleparts designed to facilitate manufacture and assemblage.

. These objects, and other advantageous ends which will be described hereinafter, I attain in the following manner, reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which a Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improved baby walker equipped with the novel connection. 1

Figure 2 is a bottom plan view thereof,

Figure 3 is a diametrical sectional view at one of the connections and showing the device collapsed,

Figure f is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view showingone of the connections in position to hold the device operative as when in use,

Figure 5 is a similar view but showing the parts inverted as when releasing the connection,

Figure 6 is a similar sectional view but showing the parts in the position in which assumed when collapsing the device,

Figure Tie a face view of a part of the connection,

Fi ure 8 is an edge view of the part shown in Figure 7, a

Figure 12 is a similar view looking toward the left hand end.

Referring to the drawings in detail, in which for purposes of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, and in which like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, there is shown a baby walker or tender which comprises a supporting frame 10 in the form of a wooden ring of the usual or any preferred construction or cross section. This supporting frame is much smaller than the base frame 11. i The diameter of the base frame is such that it may accommodate the supporting frame member since the latter is of smaller diameter. These frame members may be of wood or metal and the base frame is de' signed to be supported upon casters, rollers or the like 12 in order that it may be freely moved about the floor. The supporting frame may be equipped with the usual tray and saddle which are omitted for sake of convenience and clearnesg in illustrating the essential features of construction embodied in my present invention.

In order to connect the supporting and base frames and to hold the supporting frame in spaced relation to thebase frame when in use, as well as to permit of a knock-down structure whereby thesupporting frame can be moved toward the bottom frame member, a series, preferably three, braces or legs 13 are provided between the supporting and base frames, which are preferably made circular or in the form of rings as shown and as usual in baby walkers.

The braces 13 area-ll alike in construction and are equally spaced around the frames, so that a description of one and its connection with the frame members will suffice for all. As illustrated, the upper end of each brace is pivoted to the supporting frame and for this purpose is provided with a-right angularly bent portion 14 which is again bent to form a stop 14 to engage the bottom of frame 10 and brace the latter, said portion le forming a pivot or trunnion engaged in the bearing portion of a clip be employed to detachably connect the plate in position. The plate 17 is bifurcated as at 20, the furcations 21 being curved outwardly and upwardly to engage the bottom surface of the bottom frame member when in applied position.

The other part of the connection is a twopart lock consisting of a brace rod holder 22 preferably in the form of a casting having a convex bottom face and a concaved upper face, one end being produced with oppositely extending trunnions 23 designed to pivotally engage or seat in 'furcations 21 as shown in Figures 4:, 5 and 6 of the drawings. The bottom of holder 22 is closed and it tapers toward the end provided with the trunnions while intermediately, the side walls 21 of the casting are connected by transverse walls 25 and 26 each of which is provided with a depression 27 preferably of semi-circular outline. The portion defined by these walls produces a cavity or depression 28 having an inclined bottom 29 which becomes more shallow toward the lower and outer end of the holder at the wall 25 for a purpose to be hereinafter more fully set forth. The other end of holder 22 which is spaced from the end wall 26, has a raised or arched portion 30 having a semi-circular concavity at the bottom and produced on an are having a common center with the depressions 27 and also common radii. The opposite end of holder 22 has an arched portion 31 with a corresponding concavity; thus producing spaced walls extending transversely, outwardly of and opposing the walls 25 and 26 so as to receive the braces 13 therethrough and produce a plurality, preferably four contacting or engaging points along the length of the brace so as to prevent bending or 'distortion thereof and also to insure that the brace will be properly guided in the position or in its movement along the same. As shown in Figure 12 of the drawings, the end provided with the depressed arched portion 31 is further provided with a shoulder 32, the purpose of which will hereinafter more fully appear. 1

The concavity 28 is adapted to receive a wedge or locking block 33loosely for sliding movement therein and the adjacent end of the brace 13 is provided with a ratchet notch 34, theinner wall of which is disposed at an incline and is flat to co-operate with a flat face of the wedge or locking block. The free end of the brace is di rected angularly in a direction opposite to that side on which the notch 34 is provided, thus producing a shoulder or stop member 35. In this manner, when the braces are all engaged in the respective holders 22 and the parts are set up as in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the braces will be disposed in the positions shown in Figures 2 and 4, the shoulders 35 engaging the shoulders or seats 32, the braces extending through the openings provided by the depressions 27 in the portions 25 and 26 and the arched portions 30 and 31 and guided by contact with the edge walls thereof so that the braces are limited and held against upward movement by the holders or castings 22 the bottom frame member, held from movement downwardly. In this position, the wedges 0r locking blocks 33 will move or slide downwardly along the inclined portions of the bottom walls of the cavities 23 into the shallow portions at the bottom and will engage with the notches 34 so as. to prevent turning of the braces bodily, but more specially to prevent downward movement of the braces with respect to the base frame member or upward movement of the base frame member with respect to the braces such as would prevent collapsing of the baby walker. This is due to the fact that the blocks will engage the flat top walls of the notches 34 and the more pressure that is applied to the supporting frame and the braces, the tighter will the parts become wedged or locked together. WVhen it is desired to collapse the device to the position shown in Figure 3 of the drawings, the wedges or blocks 33 are released as by inverting the parts to the position shown in Figure 5 of the drawings, when the blocks move into the deepest portionsof the eoncavities 28 so as to disengage from the notches 345, thus permitting the braces 13 to freely slide to extended positions as shown in Figures 3 and 6, the holders 22 swinging downwardly on their pivots from acute angle relation to the inner faceof the base frame, to positions substantially at right angles with respect thereto. In this position, the rods may be effectively secured by any suitable means against movement and particularly in angular directions such as would permit the frame to be loose or extend.

lVhile I have described my invention as taking a particular form, it will be under stood that the various parts of my invention may bechanged without "departing from the spirit thereof, and hence I do not limit myself to the precise construction set forth, but consider that I am at liberty to make such changes and alterations as fairly come within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desireto secure by Letters Patent is a 1. The combination of a frame member and a brace rod; a connection between the frame member and brace rod, said connection comprising hinged sections, one of said sections being secured to the frame member and the other section slidably engaging the brace rod, said latter section having a cavity; a locking block in said cavity adapted to frictionally engage the brace rod to prevent movement of the latter in one direction or release the same as desired; and

means to hold the brace rod against move ment in the other direction.

2. The combination of a frame member and a brace rod; a bearing plate mounted on said frame member; a brace rod holder having trunnions hingedly mounted in said bearing plate; and means cooperating with said brace rod holder to lock said brace rod against movement in either direction.

3. A baby walker comprising a supporting frame and a base frame; brace rods pivotally connected to the supporting frame; bearing plates mounted on the under surface of said base frame; brace rod holders having means pivotally mounted in said bearing plates; and means in said brace rod holders to releasably hold the braces against movement in one direction, and other means to hold said brace against movement in the opposite direction.

aA baby walker comprising a supporting frame and a base frame; bearing plates mounted on the under surface of said base frome; brace rods pivotally connected to said supporting frame; brace rod holders having trunnions pivotally secured in said bearing plates; a cavity in each of said brace rod holders; a locking block in said cavity, each brace rod being provided with a notch for engagement by the block, and

said cavity having a sloping Wall to cause i the block to'enter the notch and frictionally engage the brace rod, and the end of the brace rod having a shoulder to prevent displacement of the brace rod in the opposite direction from that in which it is held by the locking block.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWIN HUMPHREVILLE.

Witnesses:

ELIZABETH GARBE, CHAS. E. Porrs. 

